


nothing is gained by not gathering roses

by NoScrubs12345



Series: tis the season [1]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-27
Updated: 2014-02-27
Packaged: 2018-01-13 23:51:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1244953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoScrubs12345/pseuds/NoScrubs12345
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Unsure what to get Ianto for Christmas, Jack asks Tosh for a little advice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	nothing is gained by not gathering roses

**Author's Note:**

> For [awdt](http://awdt.livejournal.com/)'s 2008 Christmas advent challenge. Day one: "only 24 days to go."
> 
> Title taken from Frost's "Asking for Roses."

“Toshiko?” Jack asked as he leaned against her desk and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Can I ask you something?”

“You just did,” she said, smiling at him as she swivelled her chair towards him.

Jack chuckled. “Since when did you get so cheeky?”

“Blame Ianto,” she quipped and, taking off her glasses, set them beside her keyboard. “He’s a bad influence.”

“Are you sure it isn’t the other way around?” Jack said lightly, one eyebrow raised.

“Well, now that you mention it...” Tosh trailed off with a giggle. She leaned back and crossed her legs as she stared up at Jack. “You had a question?”

“Yeah. About Ianto.”

“He went with Gwen to check out that Weevil sighting near Queens Arcade, if that’s what you want to know,” she said and tapped a few keys to pull up the CCTV. “They haven’t been in contact since they arrived.”

“Something tells me Gwen just made that up to shop on company time,” Jack said with a laugh. “Can’t say I blame her.”

“No time to shop?”

“No time to breathe is more like it,” Jack said and kicked at a strip of tinsel that had fallen from the tree onto the floor. He sighed and bent to pick it.

Tosh giggled again when he draped it across her head. “Only twenty-four more days left to go, you know.”

“Well, I’d say it’s more like twenty-three to fret over what to get everyone and one to frantically search the shops,” Jack frowned and ran a hand over his face.

“You don’t have to get me anything,” Tosh said, half-smiling.

“If only I thought you meant that. You work too hard around here. You deserve a little something. Where would we be without you?” Jack said and grinned as she blushed.

“Probably where I found you two years ago: up to your eyeballs in temp files and broken pieces of tech,” she deadpanned.

Jack laughed. “That’s...probably more true than I’d be willing to admit. But I wanted to ask you if Ianto had mentioned anything he wanted for Christmas.”

Tosh thought for a moment and she pulled the tinsel from her hair. She draped it across the top of her keyboard. “Not really, no.”

“That helps,” Jack sighed and stuck his hands back into his pockets. “I have no idea what to get him.”

“I’m sure he’ll like anything you get him,” Tosh said, offering him a small smile. “It’s the thought that counts.”

“I’m a bit rusty. I haven’t really done Christmas in a...very long time.” He thought for a moment. “Would a raise be too tacky?”

“Maybe a little something extra in his Christmas bonus might be nice, but I don’t think money’d be a proper gift. Though if you’re feeling generous....”

“Point taken, Tosh,” Jack said with a wink. “What about something from Savile Row on Torchwood? He’s always after me about his suits getting ruined.”

“You could make a holiday of it,” Tosh said and cringed. “Well, you know what I mean. Dinner, dancing and a real party instead of cold pizza and leftover Chinese back here. I could watch the Hub, if that’s all right. I don’t really have anything planned. Though I doubt it’d be the Rift we have to worry about. Everything seems to happen in London on Christmas.”

“Yeah, it does,” Jack said and reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, “but I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“You don't have to,” she said, nodding, “because I’m offering anyway. I have an old friend that works at the Ritz now. I could maybe pull some strings and get the two of you a room, if you’d like. It’s short notice but I think I can come up with something.”

“That’d be perfect, Tosh,” Jack said, smiling at her as he fished his wallet out of his pocket. Pulling a credit card from it, he handed it to her. “Feel free to go overboard with it. I’d do it, but Ianto’ll have my head if I don’t get at least some work done before this time next year.”

“I would say he’d put you on decaf but that might be a bit counterproductive,” she said, smiling as she took the card. “I’ll pull out all the stops then?”

“Go for it,” Jack said pulled up the CCTV for the medical bay. He frowned when he saw it was empty. “Where’d Owen get to?”

“Last I saw of him he was trying to get a blood sample from Janet. Why?”

Jack smiled and pushed away from the desk. “I thought I’d go tell him not to make any plans. And that he’ll be on Rift duty with you.”

He chuckled as Tosh’s eyes widened and leaned in to kiss her cheek. “Maybe he’ll finally see sense.”

“Maybe,” she said, blushing, and fumbled for her glasses as Jack turned, whistling as he started towards the vaults.

As he started down the stairs to the lower level, he stopped and turned back to her.

"You don't think he'll think it's too much?"

Tosh smiled, feeling her heart warm at the concerned frowned on Jack's face. "He'll love it. Even if he does put up at token protest."

Jack returned her smile with a soft, genuine one of his own. "Tosh?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it," she said, a small smile tugging at her lips as she watched him disappear down to the vaults. She switched the CCTV to them and waited for Jack to appear on-screen before pulling up the Ritz's website. She slipped her glasses back on and clicked on the ‘Book Online’ link. “Especially when you see the bill.”


End file.
